J. Cole Says ‘Power Trip’ Reminds Him Of ‘Cry Me A River’

It’s hard to tell who was more excited about the release of J. Cole‘s new single, “Power Trip” — J. Cole’s fans or the rapper himself.

On Thursday, the Roc Nation MC released the first official single from his upcoming album, Born Sinner
. The track features Miguel and a jazzy-yet-pounding track that seems to buck all of rap’s current sonic trends. “That’s the most exciting part about that song and the reason why we went with it is because it sounds like nothing that’s out,” Cole told MTV News on Saturday in Houston.

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Cole could barely contain himself when talking about the single, which he self-produced. “I get excited about that; it’s an opportunity to change things,” he said. “It’s almost like the first time I heard ‘Cry Me a River,’ Justin Timberlake. The minute that came on … It hit you a certain kinda way. That was the exciting part.”

“She got me up all night/ All my singing is love songs,” Cole harmonizes on the hook, which he shares with his “All I Want is You” collaborator Miguel.

J. Cole pushed the release of Born Sinner back from January 28 to a date to-be-determined, but judging from the single’s release, it doesn’t seem too far off. The Fayetteville, North Carolina, MC has dropped “Miss America” and now “Power Trip,” but choosing a single was no easy decision. Cole revealed to MTV News that he was debating between “Power Trip” and another Born Sinner selection, which he wouldn’t name.

“‘Power Trip’ had that newer sound; they both have a new sound, but ‘Power Trip’ absolutely, you couldn’t point to any song on the radio and be like, ‘This sounds like that,’ ” he said. “Everything about it, from the beat to even the way I’m flowing — you never really heard me rap so sleepily. I really did those verses in my crib and just loved the way they felt.”

What do you think of J. Cole’s “Power Trip” single? Let us know in the comments!